anonymous and desolate urban landscape, anarchy reigns and fires are
being set.
Rock misician Eric Draven returns to his loft, to discover that a gang
of deranged and violent criminals are raping his girlfriend Shelly. Eric and Shelly, who were to be married the next day, were organizing their building's tenants.
The gang - Skank, Tin Tin, Funboy & T-Bird - have been sent by their boss, slumlord and gangster Top Dollar to harass Eric & Shelly.
But Eric is shot and killed by the gang, while Shelly is beaten and raped, then dies the next day in hospital after 30 hours of pain.
One year later, to the very second, Eric Draven returns from the Dead, emerging from his grave, to be met by a familiar - the crow of the title, who becomes his guide.
Eric Draven sets out to take his revenge. In a confrontation with Tin Tin, Eric shows his indestructibility, and in the ensuing fight leaves his advesary mortally stabbed.
Led by the crow to the pawnshop which is selling Shelly's engagement ring, Eric tells the owner Mr Gideon to inform the remaining members of the gang that Death is coming for them tonight. He then torches the shop.
Eric now seeks out the street cop who investigated his murder, Albrecht, to learn more about his and Shelly's death.
He then rescues Sarah - a young girl, once a friend of the dead couple and the storys narrator - from in front of a speeding car.
In Funboy's apartment, Eric finds the thug in a drug-hazed embrace with Sarah's mother, a waitress, Darla. Eric tells Darla she must give up drugs and be a better mother to Sarah. Then he hits Funboy with a king-size morphine injection, killing him.
After hearing more details about his and Shelly's death from Officer Albrecht, Eric then sends T-Bird to his death in a burning car. In search of Skank, Eric bursts into Top Dollars lair and nightclub Club Trash, Top Dollar the leader is in a meeting with all of his gang members. In the ensuing massive shoot-out, Skank and many other gang members are disposed of. Myca, Top Dollar's half-sister and incestuous lover, later tells him the only way to stop Eric is to kill his farmiliar, The Crow, thus robbing the dead rocker of his supernatural powers.
Top Dollar later ambushes Eric and the crow at the church, wounding and capturing the bird, thus rendering Eric Draven a mere mortal once more. Eric is only saved from a second death by the arrival of Officer Albrecht. During the fight that follows, Grange is killed by Albrecht and the crow pecks out Myca's eyes while Eric chases Top Dollar to the roof of the church, where Top Dollar has taken Sarah as his hostage.
In the course of a spectacular sword battle, Eric frees Sarah, and despatches Top Dollar, who falls to his death, impaled on a gargoyle. The murder of Eric & Shelly is now avenged, so Eric is now able to return to the graveyard, where he is re-united in a true and lasting death with his beloved Shelly.
Sarah collects Shelly's engagement ring and then says "Buildings burn people die, but real love is forever"...